Depending on the day, every team seems to be vulnerable, and
unless you are Northwestern or Maryland, the polls really
don’t seem to matter. As a result, the 2011 season has
been one of the most volatile seasons in women’s lacrosse in
recent memory.

The biggest surprise of last week was No. 19 Boston
College’s decisive 12-6 win over No. 7 Virginia. BC took a
6-1 lead into halftime by winning six of eight draw controls and
out-shooting the Cavaliers 14-5.

Despite their lead, the Eagles knew that Virginia was not going
to pack it in. Boston College head coach Bowen Holden told her team
to put even more pressure on UVA. “I told them to keep
to the game plan, but to do everything they were doing a little bit
better," Holden said. "We knew UVA had the ability to fight back,
and I was not comfortable with that lead. I reiterated to them what
had been going well and what needed to continue, one possession at
a time.”

The ACC has arguably been one of the most competitive
conferences in the nation, dominated by Maryland, Duke, North
Carolina and Virginia. A win over a top program like Virginia is
vital for Boston College as it builds its resume for the NCAA
tournament selection committee.

However, Holden is reluctant to put too much emphasis on the UVA
win.

“Any time you knock off a top-10 team and a program with
Virginia's history, while trying to build your own program, it
means something very special," she said. "However, at the same
time, it is only one win. For us, we hope this is the beginning of
our team knowing what they are truly capable of and maintaining
that play from this point forward. It's more mental than physical
at this point. Winning this game after what we've been through
these last few weeks makes it even more special, because it says a
lot about the team's ability to persevere -- a necessary trait when
playing in the toughest conference in the country.”

Will the real Vandy please stand up?

Vanderbilt has been on a roller coaster with wins and losses,
and last week seemed to be a microcosm of the Commodores' season.

Early in the week, Vanderbilt lost to unranked Louisville 12-6,
only to rebound later in the week to beat Johns Hopkins by a goal.
The Commodores have three more regular season games before the ALC
tournament. If they want to make a run in the ALC tournament
and at the national title, it’s time that they begin to play
more consistently.

Injuries, losses mount at Syracuse

As chronicled in this space, Syracuse has been on a rough
six-game road stretch, suffering losses to Maryland, Florida and
Northwestern.

On Tuesday, the Orange were upset by Dartmouth, a loss that does
not bode well for Syracuse as it heads into the heart of its Big
East schedule. Syracuse was without starters Lindsay Rogers, who
leads the team in ground balls and caused turnovers and is second
in draw controls, and Tee Ladouceur, who leads the team in
goals.

These two stars, who were both unavailable due to injuries, are
crucial for the Orange’s offensive and defensive successes.

Loyola emerges as Big East favorite

While some teams seem to be struggling to put all the pieces
together, others have been firing on all cylinders since game one.

Loyola is one team that seems to be in complete control of its
destiny this season. Even though the Greyhounds are no longer
sneaking up on opponents, they continue to notch the big wins that
might make them the favorite to win the Big East. They took perhaps
the first step towards this goal by knocking off Notre Dame behind
Grace Gavin’s stellar play (four goals and three
assists).

Northwestern fixes shooting woes in time

Northwestern preserved its No. 2 national ranking and
continued to roll with a 12-10 win against a very tough No.
3-ranked Duke team.

Watching the first half of the game, it was apparent that
Northwestern needed to improve its shot selection. Although Mollie
Mackler, the Duke goalie, was outstanding with a career-high 20
saves, Northwestern played right into her hands by consistently
taking high shots.

Duke tried to set a tone with its physical play, which resulted
in 38 fouls and six yellow cards. It’s disappointing to
see this style of play continue. It was equally disappointing to
see that Northwestern was not able to make Duke pay for these
penalties. Though Northwestern had 13 free position shots, the
Wildcats only converted on three.

Nevertheless, Northwestern, fixed its shooting issues in the
second half, enabling the Wildcats to pull out the win. This was an
important game for Northwestern to get under its belt, considering
the 'Cats were forced to make mid-game adjustments, come from
behind, and then possess the ball to hold on for the victory.

Expect the unexpected

Conference play is heating up, with NCAA automatic and
at-large bids at stake. It's crunch time for a lot of teams that
need to get a few statement wins.